News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Injury Sustained by Man while in Barrie Cell
Case Number: 17-OCI-312
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the injury sustained by a 32-year-old man in Barrie in October of 2017.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on October 24, 2017, Barrie Police Service officers arrested a man at a residence in relation to a domestic incident. On October 27, 2017, the man was transported to the Barrie court house for a bail hearing. While waiting in a cell, the man spun in a clockwise direction and fell to the ground. He was experiencing a seizure. Barrie Court Services officers entered the cell and tended to the man. He was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with an arm injury.
Director Loparco said, “The evidence is clear that the man suffered his injury in his cell without any police contact. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations